Duo Responsible For Derby Defeat At Whitehart Lane

Arsenal midfield Enforcer Thomas Partey has been at the center of blame by Sky Sports pundits Alex Scott and Graeme Souness for walking off the pitch shortly before Tottenham's second goal in the 2-0 north London derby win.

Tottenham top goal poacher Harry Kane fired home from close range before half-time whistle to double the lead after Son had opened the scoring15 minutes after the start. 

Partey, who had been struggling with a thigh injury for a number of weeks, limped over with Arsenal in possession, but it meant he left a huge gap in the midfield for Giovani Lo Celso to stroll into as Spurs regained the ball and launched a counter attack.

The Argentina international then found Kane who finished past the Arsenal goal keeper Bernd Leno to put Spurs in a comfortable advantage at half time.

Scott, who made 140 appearances for the English Women's National team during her career, slammed Partey's decision to leave his position, highlighting the role he played in handing the hosts their second goal.

"You always have to think of defence in attack," she told Sky Sports during the half-time break. 

"To be exposed like this, four vs two should never happen. This is how Spurs have been all season.

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Manchester United Signs Van de Beek On a Five Year Deal

The "Red Devil" Manchester United has confirm the signing of Donny van de Beek from Ajax on a five-year deal, with an option to extend for a further year.

The youthful player has emerged through the ranks of the Ajax youth system, making his debut in 2015. 

He played a key role I the just concluded Champions League where Ajax reached the semi-finals and also featured in the 2017 Europa League final against United.

The Netherlands international contributed 10 goals and 11 assists in 37 games last season before the Eredivisie was curtailed.

Donny van de Beek said: “I cannot begin to explain how incredible an opportunity it is to join a club with such an amazing history.

“I would like to thank everyone at Ajax. I grew up there and I will always have a special bond with the club.

“I am now ready to take the next step in my career and perform at the highest level and there is no higher standard than Manchester United.

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Arsenal 'In Advanced Talks For Philippe Coutinho Swap Deal

Arsenal are in talks with Barcelona over a proposed deal for Philippe Coutinho which could involve Matteo Guendouzi moving the other way.

Phillipe Coutinho has been in the frame of transfer lately, he's poised for a return to the Premier League ahead of next summer, with the former Liverpool attacker surplus to requirements at Camp Nou.

Chelsea, Tottenham, Leicester City and Newcastle United have all been linked with the 28-year-old, as well as FA Cup hopefuls Arsenal.

Matteo Guendouzi's Emirates future in doubt after the midfielder was dropped by boss Mikel Arteta following his antics against Brighton last month against Maupay.

Arsenal and Barcelona are in talks over a swap deal involving the two players, according to Foot Mercato.

The publication says Arsenal technical director Edu has long courted Coutinho, while Guendouzi has been held in similar esteem by Barcelona chiefs.

Barcelona are keen to get Coutinho off the wage bill with the midfielder having failed to hit the heights he enjoyed at Liverpool since his transfer to Catalonia in January 2018.

The Brazilian is contracted to Barcelona until 2023.

In a straight cash deal he would cost upwards of £60million, which would be a stretch for Arsenal given the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with Arteta having been told he must sell before he can buy this summer.

Therefore, the Gunners boss must find more creative solutions - and a swap between Coutinho and Guendouzi is likely after the French midfielder was left out of the squad for Arsenal's last eight games.

Arsenal's priority this summer is signing defenders and then holding midfielders.

However, the Gunners have an unusual relationship with Coutinho via his agent which could help engineer the move.

Kia Joorabchian is an Arsenal fan and is good friends with Edu. He also represents Gunners defenders David Luiz and Cedric Soares.

It remains to be seen whether Joorabchian's relationship with Arsenal and Coutinho's desire to return to the Premier League come together for what would be one of the most sensational transfers of the summer.

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Gimnasia Lure's Ronaldinho Out Of Retirement

Argentine legend and Gimnasia Boss Diego Maradona is hoping to convince Ronaldinho out of retirement to join his Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata side.

The Brazilian is currently under house arrest in Paraguay as his case has been halted due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Ronaldinho has been contemplating on a comeback to football, but there haven't been any negotiations between the two parties yet, though Gimnasia coach Maradona is hopeful.

The former Barcelona superstar came close to joining Gimnasia in 2016 as the club offered him 1.5 million dollars per year.

However, his brother, who was heading the negotiations, announced that Ronaldinho will not move to the Argentine team.

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Pjanic Medical Takes Place In Turin As Barcelona Transfer Moves Closer

Barcelona star Arthur Melo has arrived in Turin ahead of his medical, while Miralem Pjanic will have his Barcelona medical in Turin as well.

The Brazilian landed at the Caselle Airport in Turin via private plane late on Saturday night.

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, he was accompanied by family members and former Barcelona director Robert Fernandez.

He will complete a transfer worth €70m, as Pjanic is going to Barcelona with an additional €10m cash sum.

It’s believed Arthur’s contract with Juve will be worth up to €7m per year, including performance-related bonuses.

The two clubs are rushing to get the deal finalised by June 30 so that it counts for the 2019-20 financial year.

These players will see out the season at their current clubs, not making the transfer until the 2020-21 season.

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Champions League To Return on August 7 As 'Final 8' Will Be Held in Lisbon on August 12

UEFA have confirmed today plans to end this season's Champions League with a mini-tournament in Lisbon over 12 days in August.

Europe's premier club competition will complete its 2019-20 edition with a final-eight World Cup-style tournament, held in the Portuguese capital, from August 12 to August 23.

After the four outstanding last-16 ties are completed at the scheduled home stadiums, the quarter-finals onwards will be held on neutral territory, with no fans present and, most notably, over just one-leg.

As things stand, teams will not have to quarantine either, with each club are likely to set up in their own hotel away from the public so that social distancing measures can be maintained.

UEFA have earmarked August as the month to complete the competition in order to give Europe's top domestic leagues enough time to finish their respective seasons.

The 'final eight' tournament will be held over 12 days in Lisbon, with the first match taking place on August 12 and the final being played on August 23.

Instead of playing the quarter-finals over two legs as normal, the new plan will see the ties become single games across four straight days.

The semi-finals, which will also be played over one leg, will take place on August 18 and 19, with the final at the Estadio da Luz four days later.

Istanbul was due to host the 2020 final but will now be the venue for the 2021 showpiece, with all other scheduled hosts moving back a year.

The teams already qualified for this season's quarter-finals are France's PSG, Italy's Atalanta, Spain's Atletico Madrid and Germany's RB Leipzig.

The remaining last-16 second-leg fixtures are Manchester City's home tie against Real Madrid, Chelsea's trip to Bayern Munich, Juventus's home game against Lyon and Napoli's visit to Barcelona.

Portugal was picked because of its location and the fact it has no teams left in the competition.

Lisbon emerged as an attractive host city because it has two stadiums with the facilities needed for elite matches - Benfica's Estadio da Luz and Sporting Lisbon's Estadio Jose Alvalade.

In addition, most of the country's coronavirus restrictions are also being lifted this month, with air travel in and out of the country allowed from June 22.

Visitors will not need to go into quarantine on arrival, although additional health and safety measures will be in place in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Organisers are proceeding on the basis that all matches will be played behind closed doors, with only essential personnel allowed on site.

However, UEFA are understood to have left the door open for possible changes should public health conditions in Portugal allow.

If government guidelines are altered in time for ticketing to be organised, there is an outside chance that some fans could be allowed in to watch.

The capacity of both grounds would be greatly reduced in order to comply with social distancing rules and other safety protocols.

UEFA are braced for a loss in income from broadcasters, who will expect sizeable refunds because they will have six fewer games to show as a result of the new format.

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Liverpool 'Consider £110M Move On Wolves 'Generals' Ruben Neves and Adama Traore

Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp is determined to keep improving on his squad, eyeing up a swoop for Wolves stars Ruben Neves and Adama Traore.

With Liverpool inches from the title and Jordan Henderson's fingers hovering above the Premier League trophy, the Reds are already looking ahead to a title defence.

A number of departures are likely in the summer with Xherdan Shaqiri and Adam Lallana almost certain to leave, while Gini Wijnaldum, Naby Keita and Divock Origi's Anfield futures remain in doubt.

Klopp is a known admirer of Nuno Espirito Santo's work at Wolves and in particular his star players Neves and Traore, who Liverpool are considering a £110m move for, according to the Sun.

Traore was described as 'unplayable at times' and 'unbelievable' earlier this season, and has been one of the standout performers of 2019-20.

The Spaniard has finally turned the raw pace and power he's shown since his Barcelona academy days into a terrorising threat for top-flight defenders, bagging four goals and seven assists.

Midfielder Neves joined from Porto in 2017, helping Wolves climb out of the Championship before proving his £16m fee was a bargain in the Premier League.

The 23-year-old could refresh the Liverpool midfield and challenge for a place in the Champions League winners' first XI.

Liverpool restart their march to the title with Merseyside derby at Goodison Park, hoping to secure the title the day after Wolves take on struggling West Ham behind-closed-doors.

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PSG Confirms Edison Cavani & Thiago Silva Will Leave This Summer As A Free Agent

French Ligue 1 giant Paris Saint-Germain director Leonardo confirms ‘Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva will be leaving’ at the end of the season as a free agents.

Their contracts are due to expire and have been linked with numerous clubs, including Cavani to Inter and Atletico Madrid, with Thiago Silva potentially returning to Milan.

“It’s true, we are reaching the end of the road with them,” Leonardo told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.

“The idea is to keep them until the end of August so that they can play in the Champions League.”

Cavani is 33 years old and had moved to PSG from Napoli for €64.5m in the summer of 2013.

As for Thiago Silva, the 35-year-old centre-back joined the Parisians from Milan for €42m alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2012.

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Manchester United Offer Alexis Sanchez A Lifeline After Torrid Time In Italy

Former Arsenal and Current loany Manchester United player Alexis Sanchez is set to be welcomed back at Old Trafford next season but may have to settle for a back-up role.

The Chilean striker is currently on loan at Inter Milan, where he has continued his disappointing form in major European football after being exiled at United last season.

The 31-year-old is currently on a £500,000-a-week contract and has two years on his current Manchester United deal.

According to the Daily Mirror, United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has met with the club's chief executive Ed Woodward, with the club choosing to keep Sanchez in its ranks next term instead of paying off the striker to terminate his deal.

Financial constraints at the club caused by the coronavirus pandemic has forced Manchester United's hand on this matter, though the Chilean is likely to be used as a back-up option next season.

While Solksjaer is happy to include Sanchez in his plans for the 2020/21 season, he is wary of the forward blocking the development of other youngster such as Daniel James and Mason Greenwood.

The 31-year-old joined Manchester United from Arsenal in January 2018 in a swap deal involving Henrikh Mhkitaryan.

He has since made 32 league appearances for the Premier League giants.

He enjoyed a torrid first full season at United, which saw him score just once in a league campaign where he fell out of favour with both Jose Mourinho and his replacement Solksjaer.

He moved to Antonio Conte's Inter at the beginning of the current campaign along with fellow United exile Romelu Lukaku, who joined the Serie A club for £73million, but has yet to pick up his form.

The Chilean has played just 16 games in all competitions since joining Conte's team due to injury problems and stiff competition for places.

Sanchez was a second-half substitute for Inter in their Coppa Italia second-leg tie on Saturday night, which the Nerazzurri drew 1-1 to crash out of the competition.

Before joining Manchester United two-and-a-half years ago, Sanchez enjoyed a goal-laden spell at Arsenal, where he scored 80 times in 166 games for Arsene Wenger's Gunners.

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Tottenham Records A Positive Case Of COVID19

The Premier League have announced a positive case of coronavirus after 1,197 samples across the fifth round of testing this week.

With exactly two weeks until the top-flight season resumes, numbers of positive cases have remained very low but climb from the zero recorded in the fourth set of tests.

Tottenham have revealed that the individual to have tested positive for coronavirus is a player/staff member from their club.

The individual's name will not be disclosed.

They are currently asymptomatic and will now self-isolate for seven days.

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Chelsea Agree Deal On Timo Werner From RB Leipzig (Sky Sports)

The Blues (Chelsea) have agreed a deal to sign Timo Werner from German top flight club RB Leipzig, according to Sky Sports.

The German international striker has a release clause of €55m (£49.4m) which expires on Monday June 15.

Chelsea have offered a £200,000-a-week deal to Werner, who also interest Liverpool and Manchester United.

He had publicly indicated his preference to move to Premier League leaders Liverpool but they were unwilling to pay the release clause in the current climate.

That allowed Chelsea to move in for their number one forward target, and the 24-year-old is happy to play for Frank Lampard's side. 

His priority has always been to sign for a Champions League club where he can play regularly.

Werner will join Hakim Ziyech, who is joining from Ajax for £33m on July 1, as new additions at Stamford Bridge this summer following their transfer ban being lifted by FIFA in December last year.

Chelsea were unable to sign players last year and opted not to bring in any acquisitions in January, instead focusing on their main targets this summer.

The club are also interested in bringing in a new left-back, with Leicester's Ben Chilwell their number one target.

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Benfica's Zivkovic 'Taken To The Hospital After Attack On Team Bus

Julian Weigl and Andrija Zivkovic have reportedly been taken to hospital after the Benfica team bus was stoned by angry fans, according to A Bola.

The incident occurred after Benfica's first game since the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, when they were held to a goalless draw against Tondela.

The long-awaited return for football in the country appeared to be going well, with touching gestures in stadiums around the league, however the apparent attack on the Benfica team bus ended the day in disgrace.

Reports say that the players were both hit in the face by shards of glass from the bus' windscreen after it was hit by rocks.

The bus was apparently under escort from local police as it returned from the stadium to Seixal, however the attacker has not yet been identified.

They were treated at the club's training centre nearby, and were then taken to Hospital da Luz as a precaution.

With scarves replacing fans and an eagle mascot making its traditional pre-game flight, Benfica were held to a 0-0 draw by Tondela on Thursday, missing a chance to take the outright lead of the Portuguese league in the team's first match since the competition was halted nearly three months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands of scarves with the club's red and white colours were placed on the seats at the Stadium of Light to represent Benfica fans as the club returned to action a day after rivals Porto lost 2-1 at Famalicao in their first game back.

The pair of results left the clubs tied with 60 points with nine rounds remaining. Porto had carried a one-point lead from before the pandemic.

The Benfica scarves on the stands had messages such as 'always together' and 'wherever you are.' A big banner with the words 'here we are' was seen above the scarves in one of the seating sections.

Before the match, one of Benfica's eagle mascots flew around inside the stadium in a tradition that happens before every home match.

'It's ugly to play in an empty stadium,' Tondela coach Natxo Gonzalez said. 'I don't get football without fans, but we have to get used to this new reality.'

Needing a win to overtake leaders Porto, Benfica dominated from the start against 13th-place Tondela, creating more than 20 attempts without being able to capitalise. Benfica were denied twice by the woodwork near the end.

'They always played with 10 men behind the ball, it was tough,' Benfica midfielder Adel Taarabt said. 'We kept trying and trying but the ball just wouldn't go in. Of course we missed our fans, but that can't be used as an excuse.'

It was the third consecutive draw for the defending champions, and the second at home. Benfica haven't won in four straight matches at the Stadium at Light in all competitions.

Earlier on Thursday, Maritimo and Setubal played to a 1-1 draw to stay in the bottom half of the table.

Sporting Lisbon played Vitoria SC later on, where photos of fans were placed on the seats in the empty stadium.

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Aubameyang Swap Deal Increases After Target’s Agent Troll On Social Media

Gunners are sweating to get a replacement for the want away goal machine. It has in recent days being linked with a swap deal including Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the Argentine’s agent may well be keen on such deal.

Wanda Nara is the wife and agent of Icardi, who has spent the season on loan with Paris Saint-Germain, registering 20 goals in the process.

The striker is expected to return to Italy in the coming weeks, with the French Ligue 1 having already called time on their division following a decision by the country’s president to not allow competitive sports until August at the earliest.

The French club had been claimed to be interested in signing their loanee on a more permanent deal, but his wife supposedly told the club that he wanted to return to Italy following the end of the campaign.

Wanda has recently posted a picture of her son on Arsenal Jersey, although it is not the newest shirt, and is actually from 2018- 2019 collection, which may well put a downer on the initial excitement.

Regardless of the year of the shirt, Wanda may well be pushing talk of a move by posting the image on her Instagram page.

Icardi could well prove to be a top acquisition could the Gunners pull off the deal, though, it could not be seen if he could replace the goal threat of Aubameyang, this calls for another story.

He has done excellently well in both Italy and France, and seems to have some attitude problems, but if he is able to be somewhere that he could be happy, it could be a partnership that thrives for years to come.

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Liverpool Midfielder Opened To Playing For Super Eagles

The President of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Amaju Pinnick has reported that Liverpool midfielder Ovie Ejaria has promised to commit to playing for Nigeria.

It has been reported that Ejaria's paperwork has been filed FIFA.

However, FIFA will certainly not process a change of association because Ejaria's passport has expired which means there's need for a fresh application to be submitted.

Two out of the five documents to be submitted to FIFA are a copy of Ejaria's passport showing his Nigerian nationality, which is valid at the time the request for a change of association is submitted; and a copy of Ejaria’s passport or identification showcasing his English nationality.

"Yes, he has agreed to play for Nigeria.

His documents have been sent to FIFA." Pinnick said to ESPN.

Anonymous Super Eagles team source has admitted that Ejaria's documentation would probably need to be re-filed after the coronavirus lockdown.

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Arsenal In Advanced Talk To Sign Norwegian Winger George Lewis

Arsenal are in race to sign teenage Norwegian sensation winger, George Lewis.

The 19-year-old spent a fortnight on trial with the Gunners earlier in the year and did enough during his spell to convince the north London club into pursuing a permanent deal.

Lewis is currently a free agent having spent the past few years playing in the lower leagues of Norwegian football.

Goal.com has learned that should the transfer go through, Lewis will link up with Steve Bould’s Under-23s at Arsenal, rather than follow the likes of Gabriel Martinelli and Matteo Guendouzi, who have immediately made the step up to the senior side in recent years following moves from abroad.

Lewis who was born in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, started his career in the youth ranks of Norwegian club Tromso IL before moving to third tier side Tromsdalen in 2017 - where he signed his first professional contract.

A brief move to Fram Larvik, who also play in Norway’s third tier, followed in 2019, but Lewis is now a free agent and has spent some time in the past year with Ipswich.

Arsenal invited the young attacker for a week-long trial in March and having impressed with his versatility in attacking areas, he was kept on for a further seven days.

And the north London club are now pursuing a permanent deal for the right winger, who can play across the forward line.

Like all clubs, Arsenal are expected to have a relatively quiet summer in the transfer market due to the ongoing financial implications caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Arteta is looking to strengthen his senior squad, but the Spaniard accepts that the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak means cash will be hard to come by.

One player Arsenal could look to move on to raise some funds is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has spent the season on loan with Roma in Serie A.

On Tuesday, Italian newspaper the Corriere dello Sport reported than Mkhitaryan wanted to make the move permanent and quoted him as saying: “My time in London is over. I hope you [Arsenal] manage to find an agreement with Rome because my desire is to stay.”

But the 31-year-old’s agent, Mino Raiola, has now refuted those claims.

Taking to social media, Raiola said: “Mkhitaryan did not send any message to Arsenal. Specially in times like these, fake news are completely unacceptable.”

The Armenia international is approaching the final year of his contract with the Gunners.

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Three Florentina Players Test Positive To Coronavirus

Fiorentina have announced they have found six new COVID-19 cases, of which three of their players are involved and also three staffs, after the first round of medical tests.

All the Serie A clubs are performing swab tests before the return to training, in order to be sure they are all clear of coronavirus before setting foot in the facilities.

With a statement released this evening, Fiorentina announced that they have “identified three athletes and three members of staff who are positive for COVID-19.”

These individuals have been isolated and the rest of the squad is due to begin training tomorrow.

It’s a huge blow for the Viola, who had already dealt with players Patrick Cutrone, German Pezzella and Dusan Vlahovic testing positive for coronavirus last month.

Several members of staff were also ill, some of which had to be hospitalised.

Torino also announced that they had found one player to be COVID-19 positive during tests yesterday.

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Arsenal Offered Inter Sensational Striker Mauro Icardi In A Swap Deal For Aubameyang

Inter Sensational Mauro Icardi is being used as a bait to price top Arsenal asset Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang away from the Emirates according to reports in Italy.

The Arsenal captain has little left on his contract at the Emirates, and the north London club could be forced to sell him rather than risk losing him for nothing in 12 months.

This has raised the prospect of a swap deal with Inter Milan to bring Icardi in as a direct replacement for the Gabonese star, claim Tuttosport.

Icardi has no future at the San Siro and despite impressing on loan at Paris Saint-Germain this season, there are doubts he will stay in Ligue 1 permanently.

The 27-year-old has 20 goals in 31 appearances, while Aubameyang has returned the same number in just one game more.

Last year Arsenal lost Aaron Ramsey on a free transfer to Juventus and will be desperate to avoid a similar situation with their star player.

Aubameyang has been prolific in the Premier League since arriving from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018.

He has scored 61 goals in 97 appearances, has quickly become a fan favourite and shared the Golden Boot last season with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.

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Harzard Returns From Injury And Ready For The Season

Eden Harzard, the Belgian winger has been reported back at Valdebebas this week having nearly fully recovered from injury and will play a part when LaLiga and Champions League resumes.

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Jadon Sancho On His Way To Old Trafford

The Red Devil's Manchester United fans believes Jadon Sancho has dropped a hint that could trigger his way to Old Trafford in the summer after the winger admitted he idolised club legend Wayne Rooney as a child.

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Barcelona Have Reached An Agreement With Juventus Over Pjanic

Juventus playmaker Pjanic has reached an agreement with Barcelona, but there are doubts about which players would be offer in exchange, reports Gazzetta dello Sport.

Juventus admire Arthur, but the Brazilian midfielder has no intention of leaving. Both Arthur and Pjanic are valued at €60 million so it would be a capital gain for both clubs.

Vidal & Rakitic are offered by Barcelona, but Catalans would be forced to pay a value difference of €45m for the players who are worth only €15m. Moreover, the Italian champs are not convinced by the two veterans.

Semedo would be very comfortable at Juve, valued at €35m with a difference of €25m. Yet to see which of these players would be prepared to move.

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